Winner of the GII JP Morgan Chase Jessamine S. en route to victory in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the GII Applachian S. over a yielding local course on seasonal debut this past spring, eFive Racing Thorougbreds' Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) was hammered at the tills and left little in doubt in Saturday's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup to remain perfect over the Keeneland turf course. Mission Impassible (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Group 1-placed in France at two and a Group 2 winner this term, was runner-up ahead of fellow European raider Nyaleti (Ire) (Arch) in third.
“The filly's phenomenal,” said winning owner Bob Edwards, whose New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) was well-beaten as the favorite last year. “We've had an unbelievable run with her. Super happy to be here at Keeneland.”
Both GI Del Mar Oaks heroine Fatale Bere (Fr) (Pedro the Great) and GIII Pucker Up S. victrix Secret Message (Hat Trick {Jpn}) were fractious pre-start, but the former hit the ground running once the gates flew and led for a few strides, but Javier Castellano gave Rushing Fall a dig from the outside stall and the duo gradually worked their way down to the inside and ultimately to the front passing under the wire with a circuit to travel.
The first was quarter up in :23.91, and having not expended a great deal of energy, Rushing Fall galloped them along down the back and the pace slackened further still, with the half a moderate :49.22 and three-quarters in a pedestrian and very manageable 1:14.82. Nyaleti tried to go on the attack from her ground-saving position and Mission Impassible was making some progress while enduring a wider passage, but Castellano was still swinging off the chalk as heads were turned from home. Despite sacrificing some ground loss on the bend, Mission Impassible drew more or less on even terms a furlong and a half from home, but Rushing Fall stiff-armed that challenge and tossed in a final furlong in :11.49 to hold firm to the wire.
Unbeaten in three runs at two, including a second straight score for eFive in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (New Money Honey, 2016), the bay resumed with a one-length tally in the Appalachian before getting tagged on the wire to suffer her first defeat in the GIII Edgewood S. at Churchill May 4. She had one subsequent appearance, a 2 3/4-length defeat of Capla Temptress (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in Saratoga's GII Lake Placid S. Aug. 18.
Pedigree Notes:
Rushing Fall is one of 23 worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winners for her sire, who is also responsible for GI Belmont Derby and GI Travers S. hero Catholic Boy, also a product of the Hertrich/Fielding breeding operation. In addition to the stakes performers listed below, she is also kin to Homecoming Dance (Vindication), the dam of 2018 Damon Runyon S. winner Empire Line (Morning Line). Rushing Fall's year-younger half-sister is named Queen Eli (Candy Ride {Arg}) and was purchased by bloodstock agent Liz Crow for $210,000 out of the 2017 Keeneland September sale. The 16-year-old Autumnal has not produced a live foal since.
Saturday, Keeneland
QUEEN ELIZABETH II CHALLENGE CUP S. PRESENTED BY LANE'S END-GI, $500,000, Keeneland, 10-13, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.42, fm.
1–RUSHING FALL, 121, f, 3, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Autumnal, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Marie J, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: In My Cap, by Vice Regent
'TDN Rising Star' ($320,000 Ylg '16 FTSAUG). O-e Five Racing Thoroughbreds;
B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Javier Castellano. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 7-6-1-0,
$1,308,000. *1/2 to Milam (Street Sense), SW & MGSP,
$239,651. Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”stonestreet-trainingalum”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-tm-for-you”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Mission Impassible (Ire), 121, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Margot Did (Ire), by Exceed And Excel (Aus)
2nd Dam: Special Dancer (GB), by Shareef Dancer
3rd Dam: Caraniya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
O-Al Attiyah, Mohamed Fahad & Haras d'Etreham; B-Premier
Bloodstock (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. $100,000.
3–Nyaleti (Ire), 121, f, 3, by Arch
1st Dam: America Nova (Fr), by Verglas (Ire)
2nd Dam: Las Americas (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Chouchounova (Ire), by Lomond
(40,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT). O-3 Batterhams & A Reay; B-SF
Bloodstock LLC (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. $50,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 11.70, 6.30.
Also Ran: Princess Warrior, Capla Temptress (Ire), Secret Message, Fatale Bere (Fr). Scratched: Daddy Is a Legend.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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